Program Reviews

Studying abroad in India truly is an experience like no other. It is complicated country, and is both one of the most difficult and challenging experiences I have had, as well as one of the most wonderful. In the end, if you want a program that will change who you are, this is it. One of the shining aspects of this program is the staff; they are absolutely wonderful and they are the reason that I enjoyed this program so much. They work hard everyday to try to give the students the best possible experience, and the traveling seminar was wonderful. Living with host families is a fantastic opportunity that will help you forge long-lasting bonds with a part of the community there. In the end, though, this is not an easy study abroad program full of just fun and relaxation; it requires a lot of work both academically and emotionally. But if you are looking for a program that will shape and change you in ways that you probably never imagined, you have found it.

This program was challenging and some assignments felt unnecessary and superfluous to the development of my Japanese skills, but overall it was a good program. The people I met on the program, both Japanese and international, are unforgettable. The language pledge is difficult at first, but extremely helpful for developing confidence and fluidity in speaking. It is easy to default back into English, but if you try to speak in Japanese as much as you can, even if you cannot get it right, it helps. If you're looking for a program that will drastically improve your skills in Japanese this program is a good choice. Osaka is a great city for someone who wants the big city, but also someone who wants a more quiet area to live. Great food, funny and unique people, and a decent class.

Overall, I had a positive experience at CET Shanghai, and will be returning for another semester in the Spring. The best parts of the program are the Chinese classes, roommates, and internship. I think that having a Chinese roommate is probably the most unique aspect of CET Shanghai and was one of my most valuable experiences. Living and forming friendships with other Chinese college students was a really amazing experience, and I learned so much from them. All of our roommates were so helpful and nice, and genuinely wanted to form close relationships with us. The internship can go either way. Mine ended up being a very positive experience, but that's because I actually left the first internship I was placed in because the environment was not great. I know that this was the case with a lot of my classmates, who were working in internships where they weren't given much work or attention. However, I ended up working one on one with an artist in his studio which was great.
The Chinese classes are challenging and I feel that I learned a lot and that my level improved quickly. Taking classes in China with a Chinese teach is a unique experience which cannot be replicated in America. I liked the level of work and intensity of our classes, as I felt that I learned a lot without being overwhelmed.
The elective classes were probably the least positive part of my experience. The internship class didn't feel like a great use of time, but since it also didn't require a lot of work it wasn't a big issue. Overall there aren't a lot of options or variety offered with the electives. I ended up having to take economics when I would have much rather taken some kind of humanities class. The history class was interesting but in part a repeat of material I had already covered. However, the professor was great and actually let me read my own material in place of things which would have been review for me.
I think that this is a great program if you want a blend of language and work experience. It also offers a fair amount of free time to explore the city and travel to other places.

CET Vietnam is a great program if you want to gain hands-on experience and totally immerse yourself in Vietnamese culture. The two best aspects of the program are the local roommates and the excursions. The local roommates and CET staff are such wonderful people and they really care about the students. When I was sick or faced challenges at my internship, my roommate and the CET staff supported me and helped me to figure out a solution.

My roommate, Quỳnh, helped me with my Vietnamese and showed me all of the best food stalls and cool cafes. We talked about everything and hung out together every day. Having a local roommate gave me unparalleled opportunities to learn about Vietnamese culture and explore new things. We discussed the public health and development issues I learned about in class, as well as the international relations issues she learned about in her classes. All in all, we became very close friends and we have stayed in touch using Viber and Facebook.

The language teachers at VLS are all fantastic. I went to Vietnam without having studied Vietnamese before and I was able to order food and have basic conversations by the end of the semester. The small class sizes and effective teaching methods ensure that students can learn Vietnamese at their own pace.

The excursions are very fun and educational. Some of my favorite experiences from the traveling excursions include making banh xeo and banh trang in the Mekong Delta, visiting the floating crocodile farms at Tonle Sap Lake, walking through the night market in Hanoi, visiting the Tinh Truc Gia living community in Hue, and seeing the Phare Circus in Siemp Reap. It was wonderful to learn about so many different regions in Vietnam and observe their distinct cultures. The excursion to Cambodia was also a great opportunity to learn about public health and development issues across Southeast Asia.

I definitely experienced culture shock and struggled with challenges such as the heat, bugs, and food poisoning. However, I knew that I could rely on my roommate and the CET staff so I always felt safe. Furthermore, those challenges enabled me to become a more flexible, open-minded person and to develop strong problem-solving skills. If you are looking for an adventurous, rewarding experience, CET Vietnam is the perfect program for you! I truly appreciate all of the great experiences I had in Vietnam and I will treasure my memories of eating banh mi op la with Quỳnh and teaching English at the May 15 School.

Tips:
1) Wear long pants! Long pants will protect you from mosquitoes and you can buy some inexpensive elephant pants that aren't too hot.
2) Explore "hidden alley gems." Alleys in Vietnam have amazing food stalls and relaxing cafes that are great to study and hang out in. Check out saigoneer.com for more information on Saigon's best restaurants and cafes.
3) Take pictures of menus at local restaurants and study them in order to learn food vocabulary. This will enable you to explore Vietnamese cuisine independently and learn how to say all of your favorite foods in Vietnamese. Be sure to ask your roommate for food recommendations too!
4) Be open-minded! Try as many new things as you can and talk to the people in your host community. It can be very challenging to explore when you can't speak Vietnamese well, but people are very friendly and there are new adventures down every alley.
5) Be respectful! Think critically about your various privileges and how they influence your interactions with others. You are a guest in another country and respect, not entitlement, is the best way to approach another culture.

Top 20 Foods to Try:
1) Bun cha
2) Banh cuon
3) Hu tieu
4) Banh mi op la
5) Canh chua
6) Banh xeo
7) Bun Thit Nuong
8) Bun bo Hue
9) Bo ne
10) Banh beo
11) Pho dac biet
12) Dau hu sot ca chua
13) Banh pho mai chanh day
14) Sinh to mang cut dau
15) Banh khot
16) Goi cuon
17) Bo bia
18) Mi quang
19) Com tam thit nuong
20) Chuoi boc nep nuong

Going to Beijing was amazing and being able to do it with CET was even better. The people at CET are amazing and they are always willing to help if you have problems. CET allows you the comfort of exploring China independently, but you will always have a great support network with the CET people, the local roommates and your fellow students.
This program is a great way to explore Beijing and its culture because the internship allows you to see first hand how different the international work place is and it allows you to interact with different aspects of the Chinese culture like for example the working environment. Another great thing is the chance to explore the many sites of Beijing and you can get to most by subway or other types of public transportation. The best part was all the amazing food. You can never go wrong with their snacks especially the many different flavors of chips such as cucumber or honey butter. This program definitely makes you want to go back to China one day.
P.S: When you go pack to your own first aid kit with any type of medicine you will need especially stomach medicine. Going into any country that has a different type water and food will cause some sort of stomach issue. That is the truth.

The biggest thing I gained was so many friends that I am really close to. I also hugely improved my Japanese skills. This experience has opened my mind to the world (met so many people from all over the world while I was in Japan) and also made me decide to live in Japan in the future.

The program was very rigorous and we studied so much within a short time. Everyday we had quizzes and a large amount of homework (in my opinion it was a little excessive but it was in order to finish the workbook in time). We learned so much each week. It was also great how we were not allowed to be speaking English with other participants of the program. This forced us to practice all the time.

The staff members for CET were very nice and always willing to offer their support. The teachers were also encouraging and tried their best to make learning the language easy.
I lived 5 minutes away from school by train, and my place was 2 minutes away from the station (though I skateboarded most places). My roommate when I was there is one of my best friends to this day. I really miss my life in Japan!

Living in Varanasi for four months was an incredible experience and sharing a room with a local college student made it all the more impactful. The local contacts and resources from CET were huge - between the program director and the friendly staff, I could be put in touch with almost anyone in Varanasi to explore my evolving interests. My favorite course was Urban Geography, we learned in depth about the history of this ancient city and then had weekly walking tours of different sections of the city. The experience I gained working on my research project was invaluable and I've continued to be in touch with the contacts I made while there. This was an awesome opportunity for both academic exploration and living in a distinctly different culture.

I had a great time in Beijing academically. I learned a lot from my teachers, who were extremely patient and caring. It was only after returning home that I realised how useful the program was to improving my language skills and how versatile my skills had become after spending time immersed there.

The university's location is also great for hanging out with locals, and the roommate component of the program is a great way to have a friend that can support your Chinese study. I think some roommates are not as interested in you as others, and this is unfortunate. Hopefully CET can do a better job checking the roommates to make sure they are participating in the program for the right reasons.

I tried to keep my expectations limited when going into my summer experience in Jordan, and that definitely helped me to adjust to the new culture and expectations. The housing was beautiful and in a safe location, but wifi was unreliable. Luckily there was a café nearby with great wifi in case ours went out. Since I was in the internship program, the plan was that I would have class Sunday, Tuesday, and Thursday, and would be at the internship Monday and Wednesday. Since the first month of the program took place during Ramadan, however, most of the internships didn't begin until after the holy month had ended. By the time I actually got to work, I only spent a total of 8 days at my internship. There was also not much work for us to do since NEF was in between projects, and they did not really know what to do with us, so I think there was a lack of communication between CET and the other organizations. When we did get to work, however, we had a great time. We learned a lot about what the organization does and became great friends with our coworkers. The other students in the program were very supportive and we developed a great bond during our time there. The placement in classes was a little iffy, one guy transferred from my class to a lower level because they had placed him too high, and I was right on the edge in the advanced class. I definitely learned a lot, though. As I said, flexibility is key. Schedules changed and requirements were adapted so I really had to be on my toes to know what I was supposed to be doing. My original language partner dropped the program two weeks in, but my second one was incredible. She invited me to a party celebrating the birth of her cousin. That's one thing I really loved about CET, they provide you with a lot of opportunities to develop connections with people in the community and gain these rare and often personal insights into life in Amman. The language pledge was very frustrating, however, because not only were beginner students not able to converse with us for a few weeks until they learned enough words, but they would tell us we were breaking the pledge even if we weren't because they would forget who was in which program. I was often afraid I would be expelled simply for being in the wrong place at the wrong time, or for trying to define a word for a beginner student using my own limited knowledge. It added an unnecessary amount of stress. Also, there was an "internship class" we attended once a week, but it was really more about Jordanian and Middle Eastern politics, which was fine for me because that's my area of study, but others complained that it felt like kind of a waste of time, especially after a full day of classes. Overall, it was a wonderful experience, and it has definitely expanded my comfort zone travel-wise. I am much more confident in myself, and I feel like this has opened the door to further travel either in the Middle East or elsewhere.

Simply put, my summer in Kunming was both intellectually challenging and an overall memorable experience. I truly appreciate the dedication that the program staff, teachers, students and Chinese roommates had to the success and progress of every student. Perhaps the highlight of the summer is the language pledge, which is both exhausting but rewarding by the completion of the program. For anyone who is dedicated and determined to become fluent (or at least proficient) in Mandarin Chinese, the intensive program is the perfect way to do so. The Kunming staff are exceptional. Alex especially was very helpful in helping students feel welcomed in Kunming, as well as very involved with our lives and studies.

In regards to life in Kunming, the weather is pleasant, though be prepared for lots of rain! Compared to Northern parts of China, it's definitely much nicer weather-wise. The dorms are part of Yunnan University's "Hotel," so unless you request it, there are staff who come in and clean/straighten up your room on a daily basis. I also fell in love with Yunnan cuisine, and there are plenty of cheap options on and around campus. You also can dine at the campus cafeteria, which is both cheap and decent, though meals can be a bit repetitive.

Your roommate is the best resource for integrating into Chinese life, picking up some recent slang, discovering Kunming and learning of China's rich ethnic and linguistic diversity. My roommate in particular was not a Kunming native, so I got to learn about her experience in learning about Kunming.

Finally, Kunming has its own local dialect! I highly recommend interacting with as many locals as possible, and maybe pick up some of the dialect. Though the academics are challenging and the language barrier is perhaps a bit higher than other parts of China, I would definitely recommend this program to anyone who is willing to dedicate themselves to Mandarin Chinese and Chinese culture and challenge their current self to a new experience.